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TASK 10
HOW DO WE KNOW THAT ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET?
Elephants would be excellent in the business world. Working elephants in Myanmar have been shown to remember verbal commands, other animals, and people. Considering the way they store memories of their interactions, elephants appear biologically disposed to networking. An elephant never draws a blank, leading to the famous saying: "An elephant never forgets." Studies have revealed that as an elephant ages, its memory improves. When approached by an outsider, a matriarch often signals to the rest of the herd whether the stranger is a friend or a foe. She rises her personal experiences, as well as her sense of smell and contact cues, to protect her brood from rogue and possibly violent Dull elephants. The matriarch passes her knowledge on to other members of her herd. (This was determined from a study of twenty-one elephant families during a seven-year period in Kenya.)
The same survival instinct comes into play when an elephant smells a member of a familiar group that is known to kill elephants. When an elephant catches a whiff of one of these hunters, it will race for safety.If the elephant smells a member of a group that is known not to kill elephants, it will continue grazing in the area. The elephant remembers scents, and it can differentiate between one that means danger and one that doesn't.
The saying itself is likely an alteration of an old Greek proverb: "A camel never forgets an injury." Camels were swapped out for elephants early in the twentieth century, after intelligence and an impressive capacity for recall were observed in the latter. It has become common to say someone has an "elephantine" memory — which is much more acceptable than saying that someone has an elephantine body.
1 Which of the following is NOT stated about a matriarch in paragraph 1?
A She recognizes enemies.
В She teaches other elephants.
C She has perfect sense of smell.
D She fights with bull elephants.
2 What is described in paragraph 2?
A How an elephant kills its enemies.
В How an elephant lives in the herd.
C How an elephant feels danger.
D How an elephant hunts.
3 The studies about elephants' intelligence date back to
A the matriarch epoch
В the 20t h century
C the Greek time
D this century
4 Why was the word "camel" exchanged in the saying?
A Studies showed camels weren't able to remember injury.
В Elephants were excellent in business world.
C Studies proved that elephants were clever.
D Camels became fewer in number.
5 What does "elephantine" memory mean?
A You memorize all details.
В You have a bad memory.
C You forget injustice.
D You have big brain.
TASK 11
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| HOW DO WE KNOW THAT ELEPHANTS NEVER FORGET? | | | II. Listen to three speakers talking about their favourite pastime and answer the questions below. |